Since President Trump appointed me as the Bureau of Land Management's Deputy Director for Policy and Programs, where I “exercise the authority of the director,” my 43-year legal career and 30 years representing Westerners have been scrutinized. Public accountability is important in public service, as I am entrusted with upholding the values of this public institution in an ethical and...

All these centuries later, I'm one of those black Americans who believes fervently in the American creed, even with the daily reminders that living while black in America still can be undignified on a good day. I believe that this country is great because of the foundational role played by the descendants of those "20 and odd Negroes."